Never Before and Never Again
by Samantha Sterling
Summary: Susan and Lucy have a terrible argument, which causes them not to speak to each other. But when one of them gets kidnapped by an evil witch vowing to avenge Jadis, the other must put aside her bitterness to rescue her sister in time.
1. Anger Is Terrible

**(A/N: I would like to dedicate this story to Callie Beth, as the chapter "The Bacon Incident" in her story "Magnificent, Gentle, Just, and Valiant" was the inspiration for this story. :c) I apologize for any similarities between this chapter and "The Bacon Incident". And unfortunately, I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis does. I do, however, own the Narnia poster on the wall of my dorm room. : p)**

"Lucy! What did I say about taking my hairbrush!" Susan screamed

"But I couldn't find mine, Susan. So I thought—" Lucy started to say.

"You thought that you would steal mine, is that it? Don't you have any respect for my property at all?" Susan asked angrily.

"Apparently you have no respect for me or else you wouldn't be yelling at me!" Lucy snapped.

"I wouldn't be yelling at you if you hadn't touched my brush in the first place!" Susan snapped back.

While the two girls continued to scream at each other in Susan's bedroom, Peter and Edmund were listening in on the argument and shaking their heads in response to what was going on.

"Do you think Susan is right to yell at Lucy?" Edmund asked.

"Well, I agree that taking Susan's hairbrush without asking is wrong. But for Susan to outright scream at Lucy isn't the best way to deal with it." Peter replied.

"But they've been yelling at each other more often these days. And it's always about the pettiest little things." Edmund said.

"I know, it's sad." Peter replied.

"Never touch my stuff again, do you understand?" Susan's shrill scream rang out, startling both of her brothers.

"Oh you won't have to worry about that, because I'm never coming into your room to speak to you again!" Lucy snapped back.

"Fine by me, you selfish brat." Susan said angrily and stomped towards the door.

Peter and Edmund stood straight up against the wall as a very angry Susan flung the door open and stomped out of the bedroom, leaving an equally angry Lucy sitting on her bed fuming. Susan turned around to see her two stunned brothers staring at her, which made her angrier.

"And what do you think you two are looking at?" she snapped.

"Well, Su, we couldn't help but overhear that argument. And we think—." Peter started to say.

"That our selfish brat of a sister should not have taken my brush?" Susan asked.

"First of all, Lucy is not selfish. And second of all—" Peter started to say before being cut off by an angry Susan.

"Oh, so you're siding with her? Fine by me." Susan snapped and stormed down the hallway.

Peter and Edmund shook their heads in disbelief, then turned their attention to Lucy who was still fuming angrily in her bedroom.

"Can you believe her? She's being mean to me for no reason." Lucy said.

"Well Lu, if you had asked her to use the hairbrush in the first place, maybe she wouldn't be angry with you." Edmund said.

"Oh I see. You're siding with her now!" Lucy exclaimed.

"No we're not, Lu. We're just saying…" Edmund started to say.

"That you agree with Susan! I can't believe you, of all people!" Lucy exclaimed angrily.

Sensing that they were no longer welcome in Lucy's room, Peter and Edmund quietly walked out and gently closed her door behind them. It was quite obvious that both brothers had been caught in the middle of their sisters' argument.

"Why did they have to drag us into this?" Edmund asked Peter.

"I don't know, Ed. But I really don't like it." Peter replied.

"Can't they settle this by themselves? It's just a simple hairbrush." Edmund said.

"From the looks of it, I highly doubt it." Peter replied, sighing.

"They never fought like this in London, even when Lucy did take something of Susan's. Why the sudden change? This is heartbreaking." Edmund said.

"Again, I don't know. All I can say is, I hope it doesn't last very long." Peter replied.


	2. But Bitterness Is Worse

_Before dinner_

Unfortunately, Peter was proven wrong when he went to retrieve Lucy to come to the dining area for dinner and she refused to come out of her room, still feeling quite angry at Susan.

"I'm not coming if Susan's going to be down there!" Lucy snapped.

"And what if you do come and she's not there because she's angry at you?" Peter asked.

"I would rather not take that risk, Peter. Have my handmaiden bring me my dinner in here." Lucy said and continued to sulk.

"Now Lucy, this is—" Peter started to say.

"Look, just do this simple favor for me. And tell Susan I'm not speaking to her until she apologizes for being such a snob about her brush." Lucy snapped.

Peter rolled his eyes and left his little sister's room. He really hated being caught in the middle of arguments, but especially this one between Susan and Lucy. He could only imagine the difficulty Edmund had dealing with Susan.

_In Susan's room_

"And what if Lucy isn't there? How will you feel?" Edmund asked in a similar attempt to get Susan to come down for dinner.

"I'm not going to risk sitting next to that thieving brat of a sister we have. I'll eat my dinner in my room." Susan snapped back.

"Su, that's not proper for you to eat in here unless you're sick." Edmund replied, instantly regretting the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.

"I don't care; I'll break the proper protocol this time if it means I'll be avoiding Lucy! Just tell Diana to bring me my dinner in here, okay?" Susan snapped angrily.

Edmund sighed as he walked out of the room, feeling unsuccessful in his attempt to quell Susan of her anger towards Lucy. But he had one more thing to say to her.

"You know, Lucy is the only sister you have. And one day you are going to regret what you said to her tonight." Edmund said as he closed her bedroom door.

He had hopes that his words had an impact on Susan, however small it may be. He could only hope that Peter was having better luck with Lucy.

"So, how did it go?" Peter asked as he walked up the hall and saw Edmund leaning against the wall with an exasperated look on his face.

"Do you have to ask?" Edmund replied.

"Don't worry, Lucy wouldn't come out of her room either." Peter said.

"What are we going to do? Susan and Lucy practically hate each other over a simple hairbrush and they have us in the middle of it. This is ridiculous." Edmund said.

"It's heartbreaking, too. Don't they realize how much they're hurting us as well as each other?" Peter asked.

"If you ask me, they don't and they're certainly not being gentle and valiant right now. But we shouldn't give up trying to get them on speaking terms again. They're our sisters and we shouldn't have to deal with this." Edmund replied.

"Right you are, Ed. But don't count on them talking to each other anytime soon." Peter said.

_In Lucy's room_

_I hate Susan! She's being a stuck up snob over a brush! _Lucy thought angrily to herself.

As she sat on her bed playing with her sheets, Lucy was quite furious at her older sister. How dare she scream at her for a simple hairbrush! Lucy felt that Susan owed her an outright apology to her and would not speak a word to her sister until she got that apology.

_How can she treat me like this? I'm her little sister. She's supposed to love me, not hate me. _Lucy thought as she curled up on top of her bed.

Secretly, she still loved Susan dearly. But she was too angry at her to outright admit it as she couldn't believe the one person she looked up to could treat her so horribly and yell at her like that. All Lucy could wonder was if Susan was feeling the same way.

_In Susan's room_

_That thieving brat! She had no right to touch my property without asking! _Susan thought, feeling angry at her little sister.

She could not believe Lucy would do such a thing like taking her hairbrush without asking her. And she didn't care if Peter and Edmund said it was a stupid thing to argue about, Lucy had no right to steal her hairbrush or even be in her room without her permission.

_I bet she wouldn't like it if I took something of hers without asking! _Susan thought as she lay on her pillows.

But Edmund's words earlier had made her think hard, especially his comment of "You know, Lucy is the only sister you have. And one day you are going to regret what you said to her tonight." Yes it was true, Lucy was the only sister she had and the only sister she would ever have in her life. But Susan doubted that she would regret what she said to Lucy. Sure she had been quite angry at her sister, but she had made it quite clear that Lucy was to never touch her personal belongings without asking her first.

_I see no problem in telling Lucy not to touch my stuff; I definitely won't regret saying that. But she is still my sister and my family. I can't change that. _Susan thought.

Maybe she would regret shouting at Lucy tonight, maybe she wouldn't. Susan felt very confused all of a sudden about her feelings towards her little sister. As she pulled her bed sheets up to her chin, she could feel a slight tear forming in her eye.


	3. It's Not Over Yet

_The next morning_

"Well, Susan. Are you coming to breakfast or not?" Edmund asked, leaning against the doorway of Susan's bedroom.

"I told you last night, I'm not going to the dining hall if that selfish brat is there." Susan snapped back.

"Su, you can't stay in your room avoiding Lucy forever. You know that you'll have to tolerate her somewhat eventually, even if you're not speaking right now." Edmund said.

Susan shot him a hot glare as she grudgingly stood up and came out of her room. She couldn't believe that she was having to put up with her thieving little sister today. It was certainly the last thing she wanted to do.

"Just be civil, ok? Don't make this any more difficult for me and Peter than it needs to be." Edmund said.

Susan just mumbled something under her breath that Ed was her little brother and she was High Queen, that she didn't need to listen to him. She kept her eyes on the floor as she walked into the dining hall, hoping to not look at her sister for as long as possible.

"Well, well. If it isn't that stupid prat sister of mine." she heard Lucy say.

Susan looked up and saw Lucy sitting at the table with an evil look on her face. Susan just sneered at her as she sat down in a seat as far away from her sister as possible. If she had to be in this selfish brat's presence, she didn't want to sit anywhere near her at all.

"Might I remind you two that you either act civil towards each other or don't say anything at all. Ed and I do not like being in the middle of this." Peter said.

The remainder of breakfast was extremely tense, uncomfortable silence with Susan and Lucy refusing to say a word to each other.

"Peter, can you pass me the orange juice?" Lucy asked.

Noticing how the pitcher of juice was much closer to Susan, Peter calmly said "Ask Susan, its closer to her."

"Excuse me? You're asking me to actually talk to my stupid prat sister?" Lucy said angrily.

"Yes I am, and Susan is not a stupid prat." Peter said.

"I'm not giving her the juice anyway; she'll steal it all for herself like she did with my hairbrush." Susan snapped.

"Enough, you two. It was just a hairbrush, don't you have more important things to worry about than that?" Edmund asked.

"Oh, so you're saying it's okay she stole my property?" Susan snapped.

"No I'm not, Susan. I'm saying that…" Edmund started to say.

"That you side with Lucy! You of all people, Ed!" Susan snapped.

"Susan, calm down. Ed didn't mean anything by that. Now just eat breakfast and stop arguing with us." Peter said.

Susan shot him a hot glare as she stabbed at her food with her fork. The remainder of breakfast continued that way with nobody saying a word. Peter and Edmund in particular were scared to say anything, fearing it would provoke another argument among their sisters.

"You know, we really need to say something to these two. This is getting way out of hand." Edmund whispered to Peter as they walked out of the dining hall after they finished eating.

"We tried that last night and it didn't work. I doubt it will work today." Peter replied.

"But I can't stand seeing them like this. We can't let them be angry at each other forever." Edmund said.

"Alright, Ed. I'll speak to Lucy again. But I doubt it will do us any good." Peter said.

_After breakfast_

Lucy was in her room, relaxing on her bed with a good book in her hands about Narnian fairies that Mr. Tumnus had recommended to her. It was a queer little book, but she loved fairies and the pictures in it were so pretty. She was so deep into her book that she was startled by the knock on her door.

"Susan, if that's you, I'm not speaking to you right now!" she snapped.

"Will you speak to me at least?" she heard Peter say.

"Oh alright. Come in, Peter." Lucy said and snapped her book shut.

Peter slowly pushed her door open and was greeted with the sight of Lucy sitting up on her bed with her arms crossed, sulking. Peter sighed as he crossed the room and sat on the edge of his sister's bed.

"Lu, tell me this. Are you ever going to speak to Susan again?" he asked.

"Not until she apologizes for being so stuck up about her hairbrush." Lucy replied.

"Lu, I agree she shouldn't have yelled at you like that. But you did take her brush without asking, you should at least apologize for that." Peter replied.

"Why are you on her side? Susan's such a stupid, stuck up prat!" Lucy snapped.

"No she is not. She is your older sister, you should feel grateful about that." Peter said.

"I would feel grateful if she actually apologized!" Lucy snapped back.

Peter grabbed her hands and looked her square in the eyes, feeling quite angry with the tension between his sisters. He decided to let Lucy know how silly this was once and for all.

"Lucy, let me tell you something. While you may have me and Edmund as your two older brothers, Susan is your older sister and the only sister you will ever have. There is a possibility that some day she will be the only family you have left. Plus, how would you feel if she wasn't in your life anymore? Trust me, it is something you will regret." Peter said.

"Hmmph, I could care less. She's being so mean to me right now, I really don't care what happens to her." Lucy snorted.

"Fine, then. But I must warn you, you are going to regret this fight one day. I can guarantee that." Peter said.

As he walked out of the room and closed the door, Lucy continued to sulk. How dare Peter say that nonsense to her! She also believed Susan would care less if something happened to her if she was being so stuck up about this hairbrush incident.

_Susan hates me now, and she wouldn't care if we were separated forever. She would like that, I know it." _ Lucy thought to herself as she picked up her book and continued reading.

But little did Lucy and her siblings know was how fast their lives would change that very night, all thanks to this ridiculous fight of her and Susan's.

**(A/N: Oooh yes, me likee cliffhangers! Anyway, which sister do you want to see be kidnapped? I've gotten one request that it is Susan, but I want other people's inputs as well. I'm leaning towards Susan myself, as I've always put Lucy in danger in previous stories, but if you want me to make it so Lucy is the one in danger in this story, let me know. You'll find out about my decision either in the next chapter or Chapter 5. :c) )**


	4. Melora

**(A/N: I forgot to mention that the timeline of this story takes place about 5 months after the events of LWW.)**

_Meantime, deep in the forests of Archenland_

Not all creatures of Narnia and its neighboring countries were happy upon hearing Jadis's defeat. In fact, some wanted revenge against the four monarchs and their allies for defeating her in the first place. And no one wanted revenge more than Melora. She was an evil witch who lived in seclusion in Archenland and who took pleasure in bringing pain and agony to those who dared cross her path and disrespect her. But she was currently quite angry with 4 certain rulers of Narnia.

"Jadis was the greatest ruler of Narnia, even better than those little brats!" she snapped out loud as she paced back and forth in the dungeon area of her small palace.

Melora happened to be a huge admirer of Jadis and how she had Narnia in her cold hearted, icy grip for 100 years. When word had gotten out of Jadis's defeat at the hands of the Pevensies 5 months ago, Melora was furious. Her idol, her mentor, and her role model was now dead, dead at the hands of 4 children.

"How dare they do that to her!" Melora snapped.

"Um, my lady, have you considered revenge?" her ogre henchman named Brack asked.

"Of course I have, you idiot! I just need to figure out a way how!" Melora snapped back.

Brack quietly crept out of the dungeon area while Melora continued to fume silently. One thing was for sure: she wanted to rule Narnia in place of the Pevensies so she could carry on Jadis's legacy of keeping the land in the grip of evil. It would be a surefire way to avenge Jadis, but she needed to figure out a plan that would allow her to take the throne away from Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.

"My lady, come look at this!" she heard Brack exclaim from the potion room.

"What is it now? This had better be good!" Melora grumbled as she entered the room.

"Just look, this is too good!" Brack exclaimed and pointed at the magic cauldron.

This particular cauldron was something Melora often used to spy on the citizens of Archenland but lately she had been using it to spy on the Pevensies, seeing if she could figure out a way to get her revenge. But what she saw made her gasp

"_Lucy, let me tell you something. While you may have me and Edmund as your two older brothers, Susan is your older sister and the only sister you will ever have. There is a possibility that some day she will be the only family you have left. Plus, how would you feel if she wasn't in your life anymore? Trust me; it is something you will regret." _ she saw Peter say to Lucy, who was sulking on her bed.

"_Hmmph, I could care less. She's being so mean to me right now, I really don't care what happens to her." _Lucy snapped back.

"_Fine, then. But I must warn you, you are going to regret this fight one day. I can guarantee that." _ Peter replied back.

"See that? If the royalty can't get along, they don't deserve to rule Narnia." Brack exclaimed.

"Yes, yes Brack. You are right about that. But what to do about it? How can I take the throne away from them if they don't deserve it?" Melora asked.

"Just remember that you have As—" Brack started to say before Melora stomped on his foot.

"You know the rules! Never, ever say the name of that miserable, horrid lion in my presence EVER!" Melora snapped.

"Yes, my lady." Brack meekly said and hobbled away in pain.

Melora tapped her fingers against the edge of the cauldron, deep in thought. Brack did indeed have a good point: the Pevensies really didn't deserve the throne of Narnia if they couldn't get along. And they were siblings on top of it, which made it even more peculiar. But the one comment of Lucy's had really got her thinking.

"If that little brat doesn't care what happens to her family, she'll get what she wants." Melora said to herself.

Suddenly, a light went off for Melora. She knew exactly what she needed to do to avenge Jadis and take the throne away from the Pevensies. It was the perfect plan and she knew that it would throw all of Narnia into a complete, frantic mess.

"Brack, get in here now! I have an idea!" Melora exclaimed.

"What is it, my lady? Have you decided on something?" Brack asked as he scrambled back into the room.

"Oh yes I have and I think that it's a wonderful idea. I'm going to kidnap one of the royalties of Narnia and, since the others won't care what has happened, they won't care that I'll take over their land!" Melora replied.

"Um, ok. How do we do that?" Brack asked curiously.

"It's simple, really. We sneak into the castle in the middle of the night and snatch the unlucky one to come back with us to our little abode." Melora said, grinning evilly.

"And who is the unlucky one, might I ask?" Brack asked.

"Oh you will see, you will see. Now, go inform my servants to begin making 'preparations' in the dungeon. We must make sure our new guest will be quite comfortable." Melora replied.

Truth be told, Melora had absolutely no intention of making the unlucky prisoner uncomfortable. She had a lot more sinister intentions than that in her quest to take the throne of Narnia away from the Pevensies.

**(A/N: Oooh yes, a cliffhanger! I promise in the next chapter, you will know which Pevensie sister is the unlucky one who gets kidnapped. But I am still open to suggestions as to who should be the one who is kidnapped. Do you want it to be Susan or Lucy? Let me know, I appreciate the input greatly. :c) )**


	5. Be Careful What You Wish For

_Back at Cair Paravel_

"Come on, Susan. Don't you realize how unreasonable you're being?" Peter asked, sounding quite exasperated by now.

"No I am not, Peter. Avoiding the thieving brat who stole my brush is perfectly reasonable." Susan replied hotly.

"For the millionth time, she's your little sister and your only sister on top of it. What if something were to happen to her?" Peter asked.

"I could care less; she's just an annoying nuisance." Susan snapped.

"Fine, Susan. But like I told Lucy earlier: You are going to regret this fight one day." Peter said and turned to leave Susan's room.

Susan just grumbled under her breath as she picked up her quill pen and continued writing in her journal. While she often used her journal to record her thoughts on the cheerful moments she had with her family, she was now using it to write an angry rant about her sister.

_How can my own sister do this to me! I would never steal something of hers like that! She's just so selfish and doesn't care about my feelings. I guess she'll never change if she's like that. _Susan scribbled in her journal.

As she dipped the quill into the inkwell, she heard more footsteps coming down the hall. She hurriedly slammed her journal shut, for if it was one of her siblings she certainly didn't want them to read that nasty rant she had just written.

"My lady, I've been sent to inform you that your family awaits your presence in the dining hall for dinner." her handmaiden said as she appeared in the room.

"Thank you, Diana. I'll be on my way." Susan said.

Susan walked as slowly as she possible could to the dining hall, not really looking forward to having to deal with Lucy again. And when she saw Lucy sitting in her spot at the table, she shot her an evil glare.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Little Miss Prat decided to join us." Lucy sneered.

"Lucy. Watch your language." Peter said sternly.

Lucy just sulked in her chair through dinner, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Susan and vice versa. If she had even bothered to look up she also would have noticed the exasperated looks on Peter and Edmund's faces, as both of them had gotten quite fed up with this argument their sisters were having.

"Will you two just look at each other, please? I am getting sick and tired of this and so is Edmund." Peter asked.

"I'm not looking at that selfish brat until she apologizes." Susan sneered under her breath.

"Well, you haven't exactly apologized yourself, you stupid prat." Lucy sneered back.

"Excuse me? Who's the stupid one here? Oh wait, that would be the one who stole my brush without asking." Susan snapped.

"Enough already! I've told you time and time again that you two are going to regret this fight one day. You used to be best friends and now you're bitter enemies over a silly brush! That's completely ridiculous." Peter said and shoved his plate aside as he stood up and walked out of the room.

Lucy, Susan, and Edmund were all surprised at Peter's sudden outburst. Considering that he was known as the magnificent one, these outbursts were extremely rare.

"Well, I hope you two are proud of yourselves." Edmund said as he too got up and left the room without finishing his dinner.

_In Peter's room that evening_

"You know, Ed, this argument between the girls is getting way out of hand. I can't take it anymore." Peter said.

"You're right, Peter. I think we should get them together and force them to make up once and for all." Edmund replied.

"Good luck with that, we can't even get Susan and Lucy to look at each other now." Peter said.

"They'll have to eventually and they know it." Edmund replied.

"Somebody help me!" a shrill scream echoed through the hall.

That got Peter and Edmund's attention immediately. They ran out of the room and practically sprinted down the hall with their swords drawn. They knew who it was that had just screamed and they were terrified that she was in deep trouble.

"Let me go!" the scream echoed again.

"I think not, you stupid girl!" an old woman snarled.

Peter and Edmund slid to a stop in front of the location of the screams: the westward lounge. Holding their swords in the air, they pressed their ears against the door as they listened for a moment to strike.

"Brack, make our guest feel comfortable." the old woman snarled.

"My pleasure, my queen." an ogre snarled.

Peter and Edmund couldn't wait anymore and shoved the door to the lounge open. They were greeted with a horrible sight: an ugly old witch with her arm firmly around Susan's neck and an even uglier ogre tying up Susan's wrists.

"Peter! Edmund! Help me!" Susan shrieked in terror.

"I demand that you let our sister go at once!" Edmund snapped.

"And why would you think I would do that, little boy? Your pathetic family can't get along anyway." the witch snarled.

"Susan is still our sister and you better let her go! Narnia will make you pay if you don't." Edmund snapped back.

"I dare you to try and take her. I can guarantee you it won't work." Brack hissed.

"Peter, Ed, don't—!" Susan started to scream but she was too late.

As Peter and Edmund charged with their swords, the witch made a fist and flicked it downwards to the ground, sending out a huge puff of blue smoke. This completely blinded Peter and Edmund's vision and they had no idea where anyone was. They did, however, hear Susan's screams of "No, don't do this!", "Let me go!", and "Help me!"

"Susan!" Peter yelled.

As the smoke cleared the room, Peter and Edmund noticed that the witch and Brack were no longer in the room, it was as if they had vanished into thin air. But, unfortunately, so had Susan as she was no longer to be seen anywhere in the room.

"No, Susan! Where is she?" Peter yelled.

"What in Aslan's name is going on in here?" they heard Lucy say.

Both boys turned around to see a startled Lucy standing in the doorway, dressed in her nightgown and robe. They proceeded to glare at her, much to her surprise.

"What's wrong? Why was Susan screaming? Is she okay?" Lucy asked.

"Looks like you got your wish, Lucy. Susan has been kidnapped and now she's gone from your life." Peter snapped hotly.

**(A/N: Yup, looks like Susan is the unlucky one. But don't think that means Lucy is out of the woods. I'm thinking about having her go through some trouble of her own with Melora later on. Any suggestions on what I can do to her:c) )**


	6. I Didn't Meant It

Lucy's mouth dropped open in shock, not believing that her older sister had been kidnapped. She wrung her hands and her face started turning red with guilt and embarrassment.

"I warned you that you would regret the fight and all those things you and Susan said to each other. But you didn't listen." Peter said.

"No, no! That's not fair! Susan's not gone!" Lucy yelled hysterically.

"Lucy, she is and if I—" Peter started to say.

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Lucy took off running down the hall to her bedroom, sobbing loudly and hysterically. The guilt and shame of her sister's disappearance had hit her like a ton of bricks and she felt terrible.

"Lucy! Come back here and talk to us. Please?" Edmund asked as he and Edmund chased her down the hall.

"No! Leave me alone!" Lucy screamed and slammed her door shut.

"Lucy, don't do that. We really need to talk." Peter said through the closed door.

"I don't want to talk! It's all my fault Susan's missing!" Lucy screamed back.

Peter and Edmund cautiously pushed open Lucy's bedroom door, ready for a possible confrontation with her. What they were greeted with was a hysterical Lucy whose eyes were bloodshot and face was red from hysterical crying and who was curled up on her bed with her thumb firmly in her mouth.

"Oh, Lu." Edmund said as he tried to stroke her hair.

"Leave me alone!" Lucy shrieked suddenly, causing Edmund to yank his hand back.

"Lucy, please calm down. This isn't going to help us find Susan." Edmund replied.

"Maybe she wouldn't be gone if we hadn't had this fight in the first place!" Lucy shrieked.

Peter and Edmund realized that they were going to have to do a lot of talking and convincing to get Lucy to calm down, considering that she felt quite guilty about Susan's disappearance. Hesitating a little, Peter ran his fingers through Lucy's hair as he asked her some questions that would hopefully get through to her.

"Lucy, tell me the truth. Do you love Susan?" he asked.

"Of course I do. She's my sister and I love her to death." Lucy moaned.

"Then why would you have that ugly fight with her?" Peter asked.

"That doesn't mean I don't love her." Lucy replied back, desperately trying to hold back more tears.

"We know that, Lu. We just want to know why you two had to have that ugly fight in the first place." Edmund said.

"Ok, ok, ok! I admit it: I should have apologized to Susan for taking her brush without asking. But I was so upset that she screamed at me like that, she never did that before. That's why I didn't want to apologize to her until she apologized first for screaming at me. But now that she's gone, I may never get the chance to do so." Lucy said and burst into tears again.

Peter couldn't help but cry himself as he pulled a sobbing Lucy into his lap and squeezed his arms around her in a protective hug.

"Lucy, I did tell you that you would regret this fight with Susan. But that doesn't mean you need to keep beating yourself up over it. It wasn't your fault Susan was kidnapped." Peter said.

"I know, but that fight we had makes it even worse. I just want to tell her I'm sorry and that I love her." Lucy sobbed into his shoulder.

"Dear child, do not blame yourself for this tragedy." Aslan said from the hallway.

Peter, Edmund, and Lucy emerged from the room, all three of them having red eyes from crying. Lucy was still sobbing as she flung her arms around Aslan's neck for a hug and he nuzzled her with his nose.

"Oh Aslan, I miss Susan so much. I wish I never called her a stupid prat and yelled at her. I should have said I was sorry, but I didn't and now I probably never will." Lucy sobbed.

"Come with me, I have some important things you need to know." Aslan said.

With Lucy still clinging to Aslan's mane and sniffling occasionally, the three remaining Pevensie siblings humbly walked outside to the beach. The warm breeze, the waves crashing on the shore, and the seagull's squawking did little to make them feel better about their missing sister, but it did provide a calming atmosphere to discuss what they needed to do to find Susan.

"Aslan, do you know who took Susan?" Edmund asked.

Aslan sighed as he looked down at the sandy ground of the beach. Sensing that this wasn't a good sign, Lucy knelt down in front of him with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Aslan, please tell us. We want to find Susan." she begged.

"I know, my dear. But understand that this will be a difficult journey you must endure." Aslan replied.

"We don't care; we just want to find Susan. Now tell us: who kidnapped her?" Lucy begged again.

"First, you must sit down as this will be a long tale I have to tell." Aslan said.

Peter, Edmund, and Lucy promptly sat down in the sand, eager and anxious to hear what Aslan had to tell them.

"Children, when Jadis had her icy grip over Narnia there were many citizens of your home country plus other neighboring countries who despised her. But there were also citizens who admired her evil and hatred. One of those admirers was Melora, a reclusive witch from Archenland. Jadis's death infuriated her and she now craves revenge against those who brought her down." Aslan said.

"Meaning…us?" Peter asked.

Aslan looked solemn as he said "That is correct, Peter. Kidnapping your sister is only the first part of her evil plan."

"Do you mean she wants all of us?" Lucy asked.

"I think so, Lu." Edmund replied.

"But we can't just sit here and wait, what if she does something terrible to Susan? I want to find her!" Lucy exclaimed and stood up only to have Aslan place a huge paw on her shoulder.

"I know, Queen Lucy. But understand you may be walking into a trap and that your journey to Archenland will be a long, dangerous one." Aslan said softly.

"I don't care, Aslan. I just want to find Susan." Lucy said firmly.

"We all do." Peter said and Lucy turned around to see her brothers standing behind her in support.

"Come with me, then. I will inform you of what lies ahead and what must be done." Aslan said.

As Peter, Edmund, and Lucy followed Aslan off the beach, the only thing on their minds was how to find Susan and rescue her from the clutches of this evil, vile witch.


	7. Very Far From Home

_In a dungeon area_

"How's our special guest feeling?" Melora said in a mocking tone to a groggy Susan.

Melora had taken the liberty of casting a temporary sleeping spell on Susan when she kidnapped her so they're wouldn't be a struggled on their way to Archenland. Now Susan was starting to wake up and was trying to get her bearings together and figure out where she was.

"Excuse me?" Susan asked.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, girl!" Melora screeched and yanked Susan's hair.

Susan yelped in pain and was instantly woken up. She was horrified as she realized she was no longer in Cair Paravel and, to her knowledge, anywhere in Narnia. The cell she was in was depressing and gray with a tiny window and a small lantern providing a dismal amount of light. Her bed was a thin, old quilt lying on the floor and it had holes in it. Susan looked at Melora, who still had a firm grip on her hair, with curiosity and fear.

"Answer my question: how is our special guest feeling?" Melora snarled.

"Not comfortable at all, thank you very much." Susan replied.

"Good, because I have absolutely no intention of making you comfortable. You will be forced to endure the worst misery and discomfort you can ever imagine." Melora replied with an evil grin on her face.

"You can't do this to me, you old hag. I'm High Queen of Narnia." Susan said and was rewarded with a sharp slap across her face.

"You are wrong, little girl! Jadis is the one and only true queen of Narnia and you and your stupid family have no claims to the throne! I can do whatever I like to you until you give up the throne to me." Melora screamed.

"Why should I?" Susan asked angrily.

"Because if you don't, you and your pathetic family will pay dearly. Especially that annoying brat sister of yours." Melora snarled.

Susan was even more horrified as Melora mentioned Lucy. She was now really afraid of something happening to her family, especially her baby sister.

"You better not touch Lucy or else Aslan will make you pay." Susan sneered.

Melora was infuriated at the mention of the great lion's name and proceeded to slap Susan across her face again before screeching "Don't you ever mention that name in my presence! And as for your sister, why would you care about her when you two can't even get along?" and turned around on her heels to leave the cell.

Those words stung Susan even more that the two slaps across her face, which was bright red and swollen by now. She hadn't even been thinking about Lucy and her feelings when she was kidnapped but now that Melora had mentioned her not caring about her sister, her emotions just poured out of her.

"Why didn't I apologize? Why did I even yell at Lucy in the first place?" Susan moaned as she curled up in a ball on the floor of her cell and let the tears flow.

How Susan wished she could hug Lucy and say she was sorry for yelling at her and calling her horrible names because, as she now realized, Lucy didn't deserve to be yelled at and berated even if she did take something of Susan's. Lucy was indeed a wonderful little sister and the good times she had with her far outweighed the bad.

_FLASHBACK_

_It was the day after the coronation and the Pevensies decided to take the time to fully enjoy their new home. For Peter and Edmund, this involved taking a tour of the castle courtesy of General Oreius and Mr. Tumnus. For Susan and Lucy, this involved relaxing at the beach while Lucy herself was splashing in the Eastern Ocean._

"_Come on, Susan! Come play with me!" Lucy squealed._

"_Lucy, act like a lady." Susan simply replied._

"_And not have fun? Why are you such a wet blanket, Susan?" Lucy asked, sounding hurt and disappointed._

"_I came here to relax, that's why." Susan said._

_Lucy frowned, and then got a great idea. As Susan turned her back to admire the tall castle that was their new home, Lucy slowly scooped up some ocean water in her hands and ran over to Susan. Susan could hear her sister's footsteps behind her but before she realized what was going on, she was drenched in water courtesy of Lucy._

"_Lu! What was that for?" Susan asked._

"_Well, since you're acting like a wet blanket, you might as well be one." Lucy replied while giggling._

"_Oh really? Then why don't you be a wet blanket yourself." Susan said and dipped her hands into the water._

_Lucy shrieked with happiness as Susan splashed water all over her. Pretty soon both girls were having a merry time drenching each other with water from the Eastern Ocean. And for once, Susan ignored her logical thinking and just concentrated on having fun._

"_Isn't this fun, Susan? I've never had this much fun before!" Lucy squealed._

"_Oh really, Lu? Even the coronation wasn't fun?" Susan asked._

"_Well, yes, that was fun. But spending time with you is the most fun." Lucy replied._

_Susan couldn't help but smile as she picked Lucy up and swung her around, her little sister squealing happily. Lucy always knew how to make people smile and have fun and Susan was no exception._

"_I love you, Susan." Lucy said once Susan set her down and she squeezed her sister tightly around the waist._

"_I love you too. You're the best little sister ever." Susan said, running her fingers through Lucy's damp hair._

_END FLASHBACK_

But Susan wasn't on the beach having fun with Lucy right now; she was locked up in some cold, miserable dungeon thanks to an ugly witch and her even uglier ogre henchman. And all she could think about was the well-being of her family, but especially her precious little sister.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry. I do love you; I wish I didn't say those horrid things to you. You didn't deserve it." Susan whispered to herself as she sat in the corner of the cell with the old quilt over her legs for warmth.


	8. Away We Go

**(A/N: Wow, you guys are the best with your reviews! Thanks so much for all your support, encouragement, and feedback. And now, to celebrate the one year anniversary of this wonderful movie, here is Chapter 8.)**

_Back at Cair Paravel_

Lucy had calmed down quite a bit since the pep talk Aslan had given her and her brothers, but she was still understandably shaken up about Susan's disappearance. It was quite noticeable at breakfast the next day when she kept glancing at the empty chair where Susan usually sat.

"Don't worry, Lu. We'll find Susan." Edmund said.

"I hope she doesn't hate me." Lucy mumbled as she poked at her food.

"Lucy, while Susan was indeed angry at you, I'm sure she doesn't hate you. Now eat so you have energy for the journey." Edmund said.

Lucy weakly smiled as she ate her breakfast. But she still had serious doubts about how Susan currently felt about her and wouldn't feel better about it until she saw Susan alive and well.

"Don't worry, Lucy. Everything is going to be alright. It'll be fine." Peter said, sensing how depressed she still felt.

"I hope so, Peter." Lucy replied softly.

"It will, trust me. Now let's figure out what we need to do." Peter replied.

_In Peter's room_

"How long will it take us to get to Archenland, anyway?" Lucy asked.

"With the horses, about two weeks." Peter replied.

"Two weeks? I can't wait that long to find Susan! And we don't even know where this vile witch lives!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Lu, relax. Aslan said that it won't be hard to spot the old castle she lives in. I believe it looks very similar to Jadis's castle, but it's made of stone and it's smaller." Peter said.

"Oh bloody hell; I was hoping to avoid any remembrance of that cold hearted woman." Edmund grumbled.

Ignoring Edmund's comment, Peter continued on with "Aslan did warn us that we will encounter dangerous obstacles on our journey to Archenland. So it would be best if we take our weapons with us."

"Can I take Susan's horn and archery set with me?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"You have your dagger, Lucy, plus you don't even know how to shoot a bow and arrow." Edmund replied.

"I know, Ed. But Susan might want them when we rescue her, plus they're the only reminders I have of her until she's found." Lucy replied hotly.

"Ed, enough. If it makes Lucy feel better, then I see no problem with it. But don't forget to bring your cordial as well, Lu." Peter said.

"I won't forget, Peter. Now, when do we leave?" Lucy asked.

"As soon as we're ready to go." Peter replied.

_In the stables_

With their belongings with them, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy were getting their horses into their riding gear and ready for the journey to Archenland. At Lucy's insistence, she had been allowed to take Susan's horse with her and was calmly brushing the horse's mane with her fingers.

"I can't thank you enough for letting me ride you, Dria." Lucy said as she ran her fingers through Dria's long, beautiful brown mane.

"Oh, that is no problem at all, my lady. It's a pleasure to help you find Queen Susan." Dria replied.

Lucy tearfully smiled as she slipped the bridle onto Dria's head. The horse noticed her tearing up and nuzzled Lucy with her long nose, making her giggle a little.

"That tickles." Lucy said softly.

"I know, I hope it can make you feel better." Dria replied.

"To tell you the truth, the only thing that will make me feel better is seeing Susan again and telling her I'm sorry." Lucy replied.

"Hey, Lu. Are you ready?" she heard Edmund call from outside the stables.

"Coming, Ed." Lucy called back as she climbed onto Dria and settled down into the saddle.

Lucy was silent as she rode Dria out of the stable and into the field outside where Peter and Edmund were waiting on their respective horses and Aslan was waiting with them. The sun was high in the sky and the three of them could see clearly across the massive field into the forests.

"Well, Lu, are you ready?" Peter asked.

"I've never been more ready, Peter. I want to find Susan." Lucy replied.

"While it may be a difficult journey, dear one, I am confident it will have a happy outcome." Aslan said softly.

"Will you come with us, Aslan?" Lucy asked to which Aslan slowly shook his head no.

Noticing Lucy's lower lip sticking out as if she wanted to pout, Aslan smiled at her and said "This is your journey that you must take. But do not fear, I will be guiding you along the way as you search for our gentle queen."

Lucy immediately started tearing up again. She was still filled with guilt over her sister's disappearance and was more than willing to do anything to make up for it.

"It'll be alright, Lu. But we must get going now. Susan needs us." Peter said, placing his hand on her hand.

Lucy weakly smiled again and held Dria's bridle firmly in her hands. She leaned over and whispered into Dria's ear "Let's go and get Susan."

"Yes, my lady." Dria said and began jogging down the hill.

Lucy was quite emotional and proud as she led her brothers down the hill in the field and towards the forest. The only thing she could think about now was rescuing her precious older sister and apologizing for all the hateful things she said to Susan.

"Susan, I'm on my way. I love you." Lucy whispered to herself as the journey to Archenland officially began.


	9. It's Too Quiet

**(A/N: A huge, huge thanks goes out to elecktrum for agreeing to help me with the rest of this story. Your input so far has been a tremendous help and I look forward to working on the rest of the story with you. By the way, if any of you other readers have not already do so, read "Into The West" and "They Also Serve". Terrific stories by a terrific author.)**

It had been five hours since the three siblings started their journey. Lucy was quiet as Dria trotted along the leaf-covered path. Normally, autumn leaves made the forest seem pretty but considering the reason they were on this journey, nothing seemed pretty to her. She also noticed more dead branches strewn all over the ground and heard crows cawing from the tall trees, which disturbed her a little. The fact that the sun was starting to set over the horizon didn't help her feel better at all.

"Peter!" Lucy moaned.

"I know, Lu. But just a few more minutes and we should find a place to rest," Peter called back.

"You said that two hours ago and we still haven't found anything. I thought you were supposed to be magnificent at this," Edmund said sarcastically.

"Well, it's just taking longer than expected, that's all," Peter replied.

Lucy pouted a little as she gripped Dria's reins in her hands. It was a miracle that Dria hadn't said they were lost, but then again she probably was afraid to in the presence of royalty and appear unworthy.

"Dria, are you alright?" Lucy asked and patted the horse on the neck.

"Don't worry about me, my lady. This is your journey and you should worry about yourselves."

"But I want you to be comfortable too."

"I appreciate your concern, my lady. However, I will let you know if I feel any discomfort."

Lucy just nodded her head and urged Dria to press forward through the forest, even though the sun was now halfway down the horizon, casting eerie shadows from the trees on the ground. Lucy somehow felt like Jadis's presence was surrounding her in this dark part of the Narnian forest, even though the witch had been dead for months. This would certainly be a paradise for Jadis if she was still alive, considering how cold hearted and cruel she was.

"What in Narnia is this?" Peter exclaimed from the front.

"What did you find this time, o magnificent navigator of ours?" Edmund asked.

"Just look at it, Ed!" Peter exclaimed back, ignoring Edmund's sarcasm.

Lucy, being the curious child she was, urged Dria to trot a little faster to catch up with the boys. When she was alongside the two of them, she noticed both her brothers staring in awe at something on the ground. That something happened to be an old scythe, which was covered in rust from being on the ground for so long.

"That's not a Narnian weapon," Lucy said softly.

"We know that, Lu. It's a weapon from Jadis's army," Peter said.

"Why is it here? I thought we took out most of her followers after she was killed," Lucy said.

Edmund, meanwhile, looked down at Philip, who was stamping his hooves on the ground anxiously. Edmund had a feeling that Philip knew where they were as he slowly looked around the darkness of the forest. For some reason, the young king also got a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was in a strangely familiar place.

"Philip, are you alright?" Edmund asked.

"Sire, I believe you may recognize this place, however terrible it may be. I could only imagine it from General Oreius's tales, but now I'm seeing it for myself."

"I think so too, Philip. But I just can't figure it out."

"What do you mean? Is this what you think it is?" Peter asked.

Edmund just clicked his tongue and whispered to Philip to walk on through the forest again. Peter and Lucy followed their brother on their own horses, getting a chill down their spines as they took in the scenery that surrounded them. Trees with burnt rope around them, a few more scythes lying on the ground, and long abandoned fire pits came into view as the three siblings entered deeper into the forest.

Edmund started to tremble once the group approached an old straw hut nestled against two trees and ordered Philip to halt. He now knew where they were and this was undeniable proof.

"Oh bloody hell; I hoped I would never come back here," Edmund said softly.

"Ed, is it…?" Lucy started to ask.

"Yes it is, Lu. I remember being held captive here five months ago. In fact that's the tree where she tied me up," Edmund said and pointed to a tree a few feet away from the hut, his hand shaking and fear rising in his voice.

Peter and Lucy were quite shocked to be standing in the very camp where Jadis had imprisoned their brother. They had only imagined how cold and unwelcoming it was, but it hit them full force how true Edmund's stories were now that they were standing in the middle of this awful place. All the tales of being tied up, being starved, being lashed with a whip, and being verbally abused hit them like a ton of bricks.

Lucy hopped off of Dria and walked over to Edmund, who was still sitting on Philip and shaking in fear. She reached up her little hand and placed it on Edmund's arm for comfort. Edmund looked down at his younger sister, who was giving him a half-hearted smile.

"Ed, it's alright. She's dead, she can't hurt you," Lucy said.

"But I can still feel her presence here. It's almost as if she hasn't really left."

"Do you want to leave?"

"Please, Lu. This brings back too many horrible memories."

Lucy nodded silently and went to climb back on Dria. She had just placed her hands on the saddle when she heard a loud screech coming from the skies up above. Terrified, Lucy flung her arms around Dria's neck and started quivering. Peter and Edmund also were shocked upon hearing the hideous noise and looked up to the foliage to figure out where it was coming from, drawing their swords from their belts in the process.

"Peter, I don't like the sound of that," Lucy whimpered.

"Now we really should go." Edmund said.

"Please, Peter? Can we get out of here now?" Lucy asked.

"I think we should. Just get on Dria and keep your dagger handy. Edmund, do not put that sword away until I say so. You may need it," Peter said sternly.

Edmund just nodded as his fingers turned white from gripping the handle of his sword, ready for a possible fight. Suddenly, the loud screech pierced the children's ears again, this time being so much louder and closer it caused Philip to rear up and Edmund to almost fall off.

"Whoa there, Philip!" Edmund said, holding onto Philip's reigns with his other hand as tightly as possible.

"Are you alright, Ed?" Peter asked once his brother had regained his bearings and Philip had all four hooves on the ground.

"I don't think you are, little kings," a nasty voice said.

Everyone's eyes flew to the leaves above them and they were horrified to see a hideously ugly, thin, bat-like creature peek its head from the leaves and extend its wings. It hissed loudly at them as it descended from its perch onto the ground in front of the three monarchs. Its wings were huge and it had teeth and claws sharper than Peter and Edmund's swords. Its piercing yellow eyes glowed in the dim sunlight and its greasy black hair clung to its skinny neck.

"A harpy!"

"A what, Lu?"

"That's a harpy, Peter! I saw some of them tormenting Aslan when he was tied up at the Stone Table," Lucy said, feeling quite terrified.

"Ah yes, it was great fun to torture that overgrown furball. And torturing you three will be even more fun," the ugly forest creature snarled in its scratchy, guttural voice.

"I though we killed your kind off after your mistress was destroyed," Peter said furiously as he raised his sword.

"All but one, and I now swear my allegiance to Melora. Soon all of you will also bow down to my new queen."

"What have you done to Susan?" Lucy asked as she slowly got off of Dria and pulled her dagger from her belt.

"Lu…" Edmund started to say.

"No, Ed. I need to do this for Susan," Lucy said and pointed her weapon at the harpy.

The harpy hissed at Lucy as she continued to point her dagger at it. It flashed an evil smirk and said "Ha, you think a puny little girl like you could beat me?"

"Oh I think so, especially with this knife of mine." Lucy said and raised it in the air.

But she was surprised when she felt her eldest brother grab her wrist and say "Don't do it. You shouldn't be in the middle of this."

"But, Peter, I have to do it for Susan." Lucy protested.

"Lucy, trust me. I'll let you know if I need you, but for now it's best that you stay out of this fight." Peter replied.

Lucy groaned but backed up next to Dria, who was stamping her hooves on the ground anxiously. She couldn't help but cringe as she watched her brothers approached the hideous harpy with their swords drawn. The grotesque creature hissed and growled as it bared its sharp teeth at the two boys and spread its wings, lifting itself off the ground.

"Prepare to die!" it screeched as it took a dive bomb at Peter and Edmund.


	10. Claws and Prayers

"I think not!"

Edmund was strong and determined as he raised up his shield, which the ugly harpy took a rather nasty nose-dive into. The collision of flesh and metal was so strong for both parties the harpy collapsed to the ground and Edmund was knocked right off of Phillip. As the young king squirmed in pain on the ground, the harpy leaned forward into Edmund's face, breathing hot, smelly breath onto him.

"Ed!" Peter yelled.

"Don't think this will be so easy, little boy," the harpy snarled.

"If you hurt my brother…" Peter said angrily

He whipped his sword in the air at the harpy, who glared at the two brothers as it lifted itself off of the leaf-covered ground with its wings and bared its razor sharp teeth. Peter kept his sword pointed at the hideous creature while Edmund managed to grab his sword from where it had fallen. Meanwhile, a frightened Lucy was hiding behind Dria watching the whole conflict.

"Don't you dare hurt my brothers!" she cried.

The harpy growled and bared its claws menacingly Lucy, who cringed behind Dria with her arms wrapped around one of the horse's hind legs. The youngest monarch of Narnia reached to her belt so she could pull out her dagger, which caught her oldest brother's eye.

"Lucy, don't provoke it! We'll handle it!" Peter ordered.

The ugly forest beast hissed evilly at the little girl, who tightened her grip on her dagger and pursed her lips together in determination. Meanwhile, Edmund had gotten his sword back into his hand and was painfully standing up, ready to help his brother take on this nasty harpy.

"Ed, are you alright?" Peter asked, noticing Edmund limp slightly.

"I'm fine, Peter," Edmund insisted.

As the harpy hissed angrily and launched himself into the air, Peter and Edmund continued to hold their shields up for protection, not doubting that the creature would take a nose dive at them again.

Once the horrid little creature had reached the top of a tree, it spread its wings out and extended its sharp claws as far as it could. It whirled around then swooped down and flew right towards the two kings of Narnia.

"Watch out!" Lucy screamed.

Peter and Edmund raised up their shields and held their swords out so the harpy would fly right into a blade of metal. They also tried to side step the foul beast as it flew through the air right at them. But as it flew between the two kings, it had its vicious claws extended out and Peter could feel white hot pain as they slashed his cheek.

"Peter!" Edmund and Lucy yelled at the same time.

Peter pressed the back of his wrist against his cheek as the intense pain seared throughout his face and blood streamed from his wounds. He was breathing in and out rapidly to try and block the pain, but it was too intense to even ignore. As the High King was bleeding from his wounds, the ugly harpy cackled evilly at him.

"If you can't protect yourself from simple claws, it's hopeless," it growled.

Peter gave the harpy an evil look as blood continued to stain his gauntlets. But Edmund was furious at this horrendous monster for injuring his older brother and was determined that it would pay dearly. With a look of anger in his eyes, he motioned for Lucy to come forward from her hiding spot.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Now's the time to use your cordial. I have to teach this monster a lesson." Edmund said angrily.

"What are you…" Peter started to say.

"No, Peter. He hurt you so he deserves to pay for what he did."

Edmund held his sword so the sharp tip was pointed right at the vicious little monster. It continued to cackle evilly at the young king for being so overly confident in himself.

"Oh you may think that you are a strong king. But I know you are gravely mistaken."

"I don't think so. I also don't take too kindly to those who hurt my family."

"And you will be next, little king."

The harpy was very determined to get Edmund as it flew backwards a few feet, ready to attack the boy with its razor sharp claws. And Edmund's fingers started to hurt from gripping his sword handle, but he didn't care about that. He just wanted to hurt the harpy who had attacked his brother.

"Despair…and DIE!" the harpy screeched.

It wasted no time in flying towards Edmund, claws extended and all. It was prepared to deal the young king a serious injury to incapacitate him. What it wasn't prepared for was Edmund whipping his sword downward at its wings. The sharp, metal blade slashed through the harpy's right wing as if it was a stick of butter and the vicious creature shrieked in pain as it collapsed into a pile of leaves.

"You!!!!! You…shall…pay!!!" it cried out through the pain.

"I don't think so," Edmund said harshly.

He proceeded to march over to the injured creature and placed his boot on the creature's injured wing. The harpy glared at the young king, but he felt a cold blade of metal against his throat. He looked up at Edmund, who had the tip of his sword pointed at the ugly creature and a look of fury in his eyes.

"Now, care to tell me where your queen is holding my sister?"

"Why should I? I have allegiance to—." the harpy started to say before Edmund pushed his sword against the creature's throat a little harder. Growling under its breath, the harpy sneered "Fine, I shall relent the information. Your sister is being held in an old stone palace in Archenland. It's just outside of the Praden Forest, so you can't miss it."

Satisfied, Edmund slid his sword back into its sheath and removed his boot from its position on the harpy's wing. He proudly walked back over to Lucy and Peter, who were holding onto each other's hands while watching the whole scene take place.

"But don't think this means your quest will be any easier," the harpy growled and started to limp away in pain.

"Are you alright, Ed?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine, Lu. Now we know where Susan is being held."

"And your cordial was a great help to me. Thank you," Peter said and hugged his little sister.

"It's no problem. At least you're okay now."

"But can we get out of here? I'm sure none of us want to spend the night in this horrid place."

"Right you are, Ed. Let's leave this depressing camp and find someplace safer."

_An hour later_

It had taken a while, but the three monarchs had found a decent clearing far enough away from Jadis's old camp where they felt safe. And they had also managed to find enough branches and stones to make a decent fire pit, which helped them stay warm in the darkness of the night. But as Peter, Edmund, and Lucy sat around their makeshift campfire, all they could think about was Susan and her wellbeing.

"I wonder if Susan is staying warm, wherever she is," Lucy mumbled softly.

"I hope she's even getting anything to eat," Edmund said.

"I just want her to be safe until we can rescue her, if that's even possible. I want Aslan to protect her."

"I'm sure he will. He's everywhere as the true king of Narnia, so I know he is watching over Susan," Peter said.

"But how do we know that?"

"Well, Lu, I think if you say a prayer to Aslan, you can be assured that he will watch over her."

Lucy sighed and got down on her knees in front of the fire pit. She clasped her hands together in a prayer position and looked at the fire in front of her. She could feel tears forming in her eyes as thoughts of her sister being in danger raced through her mind. Eventually, she looked up towards the stars in the sky and said a tearful prayer.

"Aslan, I hope you can hear me. If you can, don't let any harm come to Susan. Keep her safe and let her know how much we miss her. Just let her come home alive and safely, that's all I want. "

Peter and Edmund couldn't help but begin to cry themselves upon hearing Lucy's short but sweet prayer. They sat next to her on the ground and wrapped their arms around her shoulders, sobbing in the process.

"Lu, that was beautiful."

"Thank you, Ed. I hope Aslan heard it."

"I'm sure he did. And I'm sure that he is watching over Susan for us."


	11. Not A Very Sunny Sky

Susan was huddled up in the cold, lonely corner of her cell. She was desperately trying to hold back the tears that threatened to start pouring from her eyes, but considering the dreadful living conditions she was in that proved to be next to impossible. The thin blanket made it horribly uncomfortable to sleep on the stone floor. Her face was starting to turn purple from Melora slapping her the other day. Her once silky, flowing black hair was now disheveled. This was certainly no way for a queen to live.

"I want to get out of here and go home," Susan moaned to herself.

"Not if my queen has anything to say about it."

Susan lifted her tear-stained face up and was scared to see Brack filling in the doorway of her cell, a whip in his hand. She backed up into the corner, hoping that by some slim miracle she would wake up from this nightmare, but it proved useless.

"Come with me, girl. My mistress requires your presence."

Susan cringed in the corner as this gigantic creature walked menacingly over to her and grabbed her roughly by her dress collar. Her fright level increased as the hideous ogre practically dragged her out of the cell. She really didn't want to find out what Melora had in store for her this time since it would probably entail more mistreatment.

"Walk to my mistress with dignity, girl, and show her respect," Brack snarled, noticing how Susan was trembling.

"I have a name, you know."

"Your name means nothing in here; you're just a worthless prisoner."

Susan cursed the ogre under her breath at that comment. She knew she was far from being a worthless prisoner, but she was quite scared after just one horrid day in this lonely, isolated dungeon. And it was about to get worse when Brack lead her into a small room that was empty except for one stool in the middle and Melora standing in the corner, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Ah yes, Queen Susan the Gentle. But when I get done with you, you won't be so gentle anymore."

"And what makes you think that?"

"You will see after we are finished with you."

Brack proceeded to grip Susan's shoulder and forced her quite hard into sitting on the stool. The young queen was now starting to shake with fear, especially as Brack walked around behind her and held the whip up to her back.

"Don't you dare move," he whispered in her ear.

Susan cringed in the stool as Melora walked up to her and bent over so the two of them were eye to eye. Now she got a terrible feeling in her stomach that told her whatever these two were going to do would indeed involve more abuse.

"Little girl, I know your family will come to find you. I will let them do that, but it won't be easy for them. So tell me: how skilled are they as warriors?" Melora asked harshly.

Susan looked into Melora's glaring blue eyes, which were filled with anger and hatred. She narrowed her own eyes as she stared at the witch and declared "I will not betray my family."

Melora's expression grew stormier as she glanced up at Brack and nodded her head at him. The ogre took a step back and flicked his wrist, causing the whip to snap against the floor. Susan clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself for what was about to happen next.

Brack raised his arm, whip in hand, and brought it down hard on Susan's back. The young queen could feel her nails digging into her palms as the hard leather struck against her shoulder through the thin fabric of her dress. She cried out as the burning pain seared throughout her body and she collapsed onto her knees. Brack promptly grabbed her dress collar and yanked her back into a sitting position on the stool, but Susan kept her lips tightly sealed and would not reveal anything about her family.

"I said, tell me how skilled your family is with their weapons," Melora demanded.

"Never."

Infuriated, Melora nodded at Brack. The ogre raised up the whip and lashed it across Susan's shoulders again. Susan was struck so hard she was knocked off the stool and landed flat on her stomach. She bit her tongue, desperate not to cry through the searing pain that radiated across her back. She straightened out her shaking arms and tried to push herself back up, but immediately felt another whipping of leather.

"That one is for disrespecting my queen!"

"Very good, Brack. Very good. Now I think we should let our 'guest' here think about the meaning of respect for a little while."

Susan yelped in pain again as Melora yanked her off the floor by her hair. Now the tears were really threatening to flow from her eyes as the vile witch pulled her along the hall back to her cell. But Susan was desperately trying to stay strong and not show her captors how frightened she really was.

_You are Susan the Gentle, Queen of Narnia. You are stronger than they realize. You will get through this, _Susan thought to herself.

"Now get in there!" Melora yelled and Susan was jerked out of her thoughts as she was roughly shoved back inside her cell.

"I'll never betray my family to the likes of you! You will never get anything from me!"

"We will see, little girl. For now, you need to think about how much longer you will last if you do not talk soon."

Susan could not resist her tears any longer. As soon as Melora slammed the door shut, they flowed from her gentle eyes. She knew in her heart that she would never willingly betray her brothers and sister to this vicious woman, but at the same time she was terrified about what Melora might do to them. As she slid down onto her knees, she looked up at the ceiling and said a quiet prayer to Aslan for help.

"Aslan, please hear me. Don't let Melora harm my family. They mean the world to me and I love them more than anything. I know they'll find me, I know they will. So please Aslan, watch over Peter, Edmund, and Lucy. Don't make their journey harder than it needs to be."

_In the camp_

It was a quiet breakfast that morning as Peter, Edmund, and Lucy had some toast and tea around the small fire pit. None of them were particularly cheerful, especially Peter and Edmund. They had taken turns sleeping and keeping watch over the camp, as they didn't want to risk another harpy attack. They had been all been thinking about Susan's well being since the journey began, but it was Lucy who had been thinking about it the most. It showed during breakfast as she was unusually quiet.

"Lu, are you alright?" Peter asked.

"I shouldn't be eating this. What if Susan isn't getting anything to eat?"

Sighing, Peter put his arm around Lucy's shoulder and said to her, "I don't think starving yourself is going to make this journey any easier. Do you think Susan would want to see you feeling hungry?"

"He has a point, Lu. You're the valiant one and you need to be strong," Edmund agreed.

Lucy sighed as she ate the last bite of her toast. The only thought that had been on her mind was how Susan was faring in the hands of this vile witch.

"Come on, Lu. We should be off now; we've got a long journey ahead of us," Edmund said.

"What if we don't make it in time?"

"Lucy, we will make it in time and rescue Susan. We have to have faith that we will accomplish this. Now why don't you go get Dria ready to go?" Peter said.

Lucy just nodded at her brother and went to grab Dria's saddle and bridle. She just couldn't shake this awful feeling from her mind that Susan was in serious trouble. As she placed the saddle onto Dria, she thought about how Susan was probably being treated by Melora at that moment. She had to take a deep breath to keep from crying at the thought of her sister being abused.

"Susan, don't give up. I love you. Don't let her beat you down," Lucy whispered to herself.


	12. I Will Cross The Stream

_Two hours later_

All three monarchs were quiet as they rode their horses through the Narnian forests. The harpy attack from the previous night had made them a little more aware of their surroundings. As a result, they were keeping a closer eye on things as they rode along the path.

"What if he comes back?" Lucy asked nervously.

"I doubt he will after what I did to him last night."

"I hope you're right, Ed. I just don't want this to be any harder than it needs to be."

"We know how you feel. Just keep your dagger and cordial ready just in case and we should be fine."

Lucy nodded at Edmund and urged Dria to press forward. She really didn't want another attack by any creature in the woods, although she feared that harpy wouldn't be the only thing that would be bothering her and her brothers during their quest.

"Do you think that old witch knows we're coming?"

"I think she does. The harpy said he has an allegiance with her," Peter said.

"Oh, Aslan…What if she sends more out?"

"Then we have our weapons and the strength of each other. That will show her we won't let her win."

"I don't know, Peter. I don't think she'll give up trying to prevent us from getting to Susan."

"Of course she won't! But that doesn't mean we have to," Edmund added.

Lucy just sighed as she looked down at the reins in her hand. She was nervous about the journey but she still had faith that Aslan would guide them safely to wherever Susan was being held captive. Still, it was frightening to think of all the horrific encounters with the witch's minions they might have along the way.

"Lu, keep your chin up. We'll find Susan."

"I hope so but…" Lucy started to say before she looked up and her eyes widened in astonishment.

The path opened up out of the forest to reveal a lazy stream winding through the clearing, an old wooden bridge over it. But it was not the size of the stream or the bridge that had surprised Lucy. What surprised her was the huge minotaur standing on the bridge, a massive stone battle axe clasped in one hand and a silver shield on his back. The hideous half-man, half-bull creature had dirty black hair all over its body and its eyes were huge and cruel looking. His two horns were scratched and nicked from many battles he'd been through. Even the brown leather strap that held the shield on his back had a tattered, worn look to it.

"Bloody hell! Now what?" Edmund asked.

"We get across the stream, of course. There's no other choice," Peter replied.

"Peter, do you not see what is in front of us? How in Aslan's name can we get past that thing without getting killed?"

"Ed, either we stay where we are and not find Susan, we walk through that thick forest that the horses can't get through, or we take the risk to get past that obstacle on the bridge."

Edmund grumbled under his breath but nodded his head in approval for Peter's decision. Peter proceeded to remove his feet from the stirrups, hop off his horse onto the ground, and hand the reins to his younger brother.

"Why me, Peter?"

"Because I gave the reins to you. Now will you just watch my back in case something goes wrong?"

"Don't get hurt again," Lucy said, reaching out her hand.

Smiling warmly at her, Peter took his little sister's hand and said, "Just listen to what I told Edmund and we'll be fine."

Lucy nodded her head as she watched Peter make his way to the old, rickety bridge where the ugly minotaur was standing. The massive creature sniffed angrily out of its huge, black nostrils and let out a guttural growl at Peter. The king could already tell that this would not be easy to get past, especially as the minotaur stamped his stone battle axe hard onto the bridge once the boy was standing in front of him.

"You dare to cross my bridge, boy?" the minotaur said slowly in a deep, rumbly voice.

"Yes I do, and you will kindly get out of the way so I can pass."

"Not until you pay me the toll."

"You dare to charge the High King of Narnia a toll to cross a simple bridge?"

Peter slowly withdrew Rhindon from its sheath and held the silvery blade right in front of his face. The minotaur growled angrily at the king and brought his battle axe up to his chest, ready for a possible confrontation.

"If you do not let me, High King Peter of Narnia, pass this bridge, I will be forced to hurt you."

"I welcome a battle anytime, little king."

Peter slowly took a step backwards, still holding his shiny sword in front of his face. The minotaur gripped his stone axe firmly and brought it backwards, ready to strike the young king. But as he swung it down to strike Peter, he felt a blade of metal clash with stone. The king had whipped his sword up and blocked the blow from hitting him.

"I won't let you win," Peter said, straining to keep the axe up and away from him.

"And I won't let you live," the minotaur said, breathing hot, smelly breath on the High King's face.

Peter clenched his teeth as he struggled to push the axe away from his head. He then took a couple steps back away from the hideous beast to position himself for another attack. The minotaur snorted angrily through his huge, black nose and swung his huge weapon backwards, ready to attempt another strike at the young king.

The High King quickly whipped his sword up and blocked the massive axe from assaulting him in the head. Now the minotaur was getting really angry at the boy. He was also extremely annoyed that a puny boy like Peter could block attacks from such a strong creature like himself.

"Now this won't be so easy anymore." the minotaur snarled.

"Indeed it won't!"

The ugly beast took a few steps backward, leveling the axe at Peter while doing so. He scuffed his black hooves against the rickety bridge and snorted through his huge nose, ready for another charge attack.

"You make think you are the great High King of Narnia, but you're going to die the death of a coward!" it growled as it stormed toward Peter.

The bridge creaked horribly under the massive weight of the hideous minotaur as it ran towards the High King. But Peter, being skinnier and a lot more agile than this beast, ducked to the side and darted right behind the minotaur. As a result, the big axe did not hit its intended target. In fact, it ended up getting stuck right in an old slat of wood on the bridge with splinters flying out.

That was when the minotaur suddenly felt a white hot, searing pain coarse throughout his back. It felt like being branded with a white hot iron, but it was no white hot iron being used on him. It was the long, silvery blade of Rhindon being plunged into his back, to which Peter stood there with an exasperated, angry look on his face.

Why, you pathetic, little boy. You will pay for this."

"I don't believe I will. Now, I believe you are the coward, my friend."

With that, he promptly yanked his prize sword out of the hideous creature's back. The minotaur could not help but yelp in agony as he tried to stand up, but simply could not due to the immense discomfort coursing throughout his body. That, and the huge weight of his gigantic body, made him topple over the edge and right into the rushing river below the bridge. Peter felt an overwhelming sense of relief and exhaustion as he realized that the beast was finally done for.

"Think he can swim, Ed?" Lucy whispered.

"I doubt it. He probably spent more time training for war than learning to swim."

The two young monarchs carefully walked up to their brother, who was watching the minotaur drift downstream with a horrible sword wound in his back and feeling extremely grateful to come out of this fight alive.

"Are you okay?" Edmund asked.

"I'm alright, Ed. But I'll feel even better if we move on and find Susan."


	13. Silent Tears

**(A/N: I'm finally back! So sorry for the massive wait, but work was making me really stressed. And I just finally had the time to sit down and get this chapter written. By the way, I hope everyone is enjoying Prince Caspian just as much as I am. It's amazing!)**

Lucy stared at the hideous minotaur as it drifted down the stream, its blood staining the pure, clear river. She trembled a little at the ugly sight, but at the same time she was quite relieved that this obstacle had been overcome.

_I_ _hope you never come back_, she thought.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Peter smiling at her, his sword now firmly back in its sheath.

"He's dead, Lu. He can't hurt us anymore."

"Good, I don't want him to. He's horrid."

Peter nodded at her and glanced over at Edmund, who also had a look of shock and disgust on his face.

"Can we please leave now? I don't want another one of this witch's minions to find us," he said.

"Yes, Ed, we can leave. The path is clear now," Peter replied.

All three of them mounted their horses and were ready to renew their quest. The horses were quite cautious as they traversed the rickety bridge, not wanting to suffer a similar fall to that of the minotaur into the river. Dria especially was nervous about the crossing and Lucy was trying to urge her across.

"It is an old bridge, my lady. What if I fall in? You will fall in with me and it will be a most terrible tragedy."

"I believe we will be quite alright. It could hold Peter and that hideous beast, so I am sure all of us will cross just fine."

"I hope you are right, my lady. I would hate to have you lost in such a sad manner."

As Dria slowly stepped onto the bridge to cross it, Lucy had to clench the reins tightly as she felt the pang of her sister's disappearance. The horse's comment had made her think again of how they had lost Susan to a vicious, vile witch. For all Lucy knew, Susan could be near death and they would not arrive in time to save her and restore her to the throne of Narnia.

_Oh Susan, I pray to Aslan she doesn't harm you. That would break my heart too much. I just want you to come back home to Narnia, _Lucy thought to herself.

As she caught up to her brothers, they noticed the grim look that she had on her face with her lip quivering and tears beginning to form in her eyes. Edmund decided to attempt to comfort his little sister by reaching over and rubbing her arm.

"Lu, what have we been telling you ever since this journey started? Susan is going to be fine," he said.

"We don't know that. She could be dead right now," Lucy said sadly.

"Don't you ever say that word. And please try to forgive yourself, you didn't do anything to make this happen. None of us did."

"But I still feel bad. I just want to see Susan again ."

_At the castle_

Susan wrapped her arms around herself in a last ditch effort to stay warm in this icy prison. With no heat, no decent food, and no bed, she was finding it harder and harder to keep her spirits up. In addition, the frequent abuse she was suffering at the hands of Melora and Brack had literally begun to beat her down. She could barely even whisper to herself as her mouth was so swollen and sore from being slapped.

As she looked up towards the grim, gray ceiling of her prison cell, Susan took in a deep breath and rested her head against the cold wall. But she flinched as her head touched the stones from the pain of being smacked with the whip handle. All she could think about was Melora's threat to make her a less gentle queen and that horrible verse kept replaying over and over again in her head.

_Ah yes, Queen Susan the Gentle. But when I get done with you, you won't be so gentle anymore._

The eldest Pevensie girl shuddered at that ghastly phrase. She had a feeling that the violent abuse she was suffering was just the tip of the iceberg in regards to what Melora had planned for her. For all she knew, Melora would be just as ruthless and cruel as Jadis was when she had her cold grip over Narnia for 100 years. Susan trembled as she remembered the stories of Jadis torturing and killing those who opposed her rule and feared that Melora would do the exact same thing to her and her family.

_Is she going to kill me? Is she going to kill Peter, Edmund and Lucy? By Aslan's mane, I hope she doesn't lay a finger on them. _Susan thought to herself.

As she slowly looked around the depressing cell, struggling to run her fingers through her disheveled hair, Susan glanced up at the small window that was on the back wall. She noticed a small stream of sunlight entering the room, casting a small and eerie glow on the floor. Still, she forced a weak smile at the only happy thing that she had seen since she had been kidnapped.

Her legs shaking in pain, Susan slowly forced herself to stand up from the cold floor. She hobbled over to the window and carefully placed her hands on the stone windowsill. She had to squint to see outside, but what she did see made her start to cry.

Outside this unforgiving place, she could barely see a long, wide field of green grass. At the edge of the field, Susan could see the outline of what appeared to be a forest of tall trees. She was crying because the sight of the outdoors made her want to get out of this nightmare even more. She wanted so badly to see her beloved family again and be treated with the respect and dignity that she truly deserved.

"_Hurry up. I'm waiting for you all. I love you so much,"_ Susan thought as she stared out the window.


	14. A Message From High Above

The sun was starting to set and a cool breeze moved through the forest. It had been another long day of traveling for Peter, Edmund, and Lucy and they weren't even out of Narnia. Even though they still had a long way to go to find Susan, they knew they would have to rest for the evening.

"Can we rest here?" Lucy asked as the group entered a clearing by a small stream.

It was the ideal setting with no branches or stones to make them uncomfortable as they slept. It was just a nice, wide patch of green grass next to the small band of water and surrounded by tall pine trees. Above them, the sky was turning beautiful shades of red, yellow, and purple through the clouds as the day ended.

"I don't see why not. It's perfect," Edmund said.

The trio climbed off their horses, slipped off their bridles and saddles, and gave them some treats from their saddle pouches. It was important that the horses were just as comfortable during the night's sleep due to the long hours of walking they had put in during the day.

As the two kings lay out the sleeping blankets and their little sister gathered sticks and stones for a makeshift fire pit, there was only one topic of conversation on their minds.

"Is it really going to take two weeks to arrive at the castle? I mean, we've only been traveling for two days and we haven't even left Narnia yet. This is taking too long," Edmund complained.

"Then we need to travel faster, don't we?" Peter replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

"And how are we going to do that?" their younger sister asked.

"I really think the only way is to travel for as long as possible before taking a break," the High King said.

"And pray to Aslan that we don't run into anymore of that witch's minions," the younger king added.

Lucy was silent as she knelt on the grass and placed more sticks into the fire pit. The mere mention of Melora's vile creatures was starting to make her uncomfortable, even more so than the actual encounters she and her brothers had so far. It brought to mind what horrific ordeal  
her sister was dealing with in the foreign castle far away from her beloved Narnia.

"I think the horses need more water," she finally said.

"I just gave them water, Lu. Why would they need more?" Edmund asked.

"They had a long journey. They deserve it."

As Lucy walked over to the stream, she still had thoughts of Melora's hideous minions in her mind. It was certainly not something she wanted to be dreaming about during the night as she slept.

_Middle of the night_

The fire had almost died out and Peter and Edmund had fallen into a deep sleep  
on the soft grass. But their little sister wasn't even close to closing her eyes. Lucy was laying on her back staring up at the trees. Even the warm night breeze did little to make her tired. She  
hadn't slept a lot since Susan's disappearance, but hearing Peter and Edmund talk earlier about how much more they had to travel and how they might have to deal with Melora's troops made it even harder.

Lucy turned around on her side, hoping to get into a comfortable position. She still didn't feel her eyes start to close, so she tried running her fingers through the grass to take her mind off of things.

_At least I have a decent place to sleep and I'm with my family. Susan doesn't even have anyone who loves her right now. I have Peter and Edmund to protect me. I doubt Susan has any way to protect herself from that vicious woman_, Lucy thought sadly.

Sighing, she sat up and picked a few grass blades from the ground. The guilt she had been feeling over the argument with her sister was not going away and she was at a loss on what to do.

_I hope Susan forgives me for this_, she though.

"My child, do not feel down," a soft voice called out.

Lucy was surprised as she looked towards the trees. She carefully stood up and turned around to look at her two brothers, both of whom were still fast asleep on the soft grass. Feeling  
confused, she turned back towards the trees and took a couple of careful steps forward.

"Aslan?" she asked quietly.

"Dearest Queen Lucy," the voice called out again.

The young queen was curious as she cautiously walked towards the woods, her hand firmly gripping her dagger. She looked around the trees to try and figure out the source of the voice. Part of her felt that it was Aslan talking but she was also fearful that this was another trick by  
Melora to lure her away from her family.

"Aslan? Is that you?"

"Come, my dear one. Do not be afraid," the voice said from right behind Lucy.

Startled, the little girl whirled and brought her dagger up from her belt, ready to fight the mystery voice talking to her. She was surprised, though, to find that there was nobody behind her at all and that she was pointing the dagger at thin air.

"Where are you? What do you want from me?"

"We must talk, my queen."

A cool nighttime breeze began to form in the spot where Lucy was pointing her dagger. The youngest noble of Narnia was stunned to see leaves and flower petals began to swirl up from the ground and began to take a familiar shape. She was also slightly embarrassed at this as she  
was always very friendly with her forest friends and never tried to harm them in any way.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I thought you were with that horrible witch," she said.

As the dryad's shape became complete, she smiled warmly at Lucy and laughed softly. She reached out a hand towards her, which the young girl calmly took.

"No apology necessary. I am the one who should apologize for frightening you so," the dryad whispered.

"I do accept your apology. But what is it you want from me?"

"I have felt your pain and anguish over the disappearance of our Gentle Queen. You must not feel like that."

Lucy looked down at her feet and traced a small circle in the grass. She took a deep breath to keep herself from having another crying spell.

"I was so horrid and mean to my sister. But I didn't mean it. I love Susan so much and I just want to say I'm sorry."

"And you will be able to, my dear Lucy."

Lucy looked up and gave the dryad a confused look. "But my sister is so far away from Narnia. My brothers and I have a long way to go to Archenland. How can I talk to her?"

A warm smile spread across the dryad's face as she clasped both of her hands together on Lucy's and said to the little girl "Do not worry about anything. All you need to do is tell me what you wish to say to your sister and I will make sure it gets passed on through the trees."

Lucy had a flutter of hope in her heart. She would finally be able to say something to her lost sister, even if wasn't face to face like she wished. She closed her eyes as she concentrated deeply on what she wanted to say.

"Do you know what you want to tell your sister, dear one?"

The young queen opened up her eyes and gave the dryad a sad but serious look. She did have the words she desperately wanted to send to Susan all figured out.

"Please send this message: Susan, I am so sorry for what I did. I love you very, very much and I want you back safely. Peter and Edmund are with me and we're on our way. Please hold on. Don't let that witch beat you down."

"My Valiant Queen, that was well said. I will begin to spread the  
message immediately. And rest assured, your sister will receive it and  
she will know that it is from your heart," the dryad spoke lovingly.

"Thank you. Please hurry and send it to her." Lucy said.

The dryad slowly lowered her hands to her side and Lucy watched her as her leaves started to swirl up into the wind. She had a feeling that maybe this would be a small but sure start towards healing the rift between her and Susan.


End file.
